Bottle cap



July 8, 194-7. p COLEMAN 2,423,582

BOTTLE CAP Filed Feb 27, 1945 Patenied July 8, 1947 BOTTLE CAP Philip G.Coleman, Chattanooga, Tenn., assignor of one-half to Robert Troxel,Cincinnati, Ohio Application February 27, 1945, Serial No. 579,962

9 Claims.

My invention relates toimprovements in bottle caps and has to do, moreparticularly, with a bottle cap of the type that will be automaticallydestroyed by any attempt to remove it from the bottle.

In marketing whiskey and other spirituous liquors, it is desirable toprovide a closure for the bottle which may be quickly and easily appliedthereto but will be automatically destroyed by any attempt to remove theclosure. The internal revenue stamp, and Various seals, are oftenapplied over the closure and around the neck of the bottie and, thus,the destruction of the closure will indicate to the buyer that thecontents of the bottle may have been tampered with since it left thedistillery, at which the closure was first applied. The principal objectof my invention, therefore, is to provide an improved closure for abottle, which will be automatically destroyed by any attempt to removethe closure.

A further object of my invention is to provide a bottle closurecomprising a plastic screw cap and means automatically eifective toburst the cap upon any attempt to unscrew it from the bottle.

A further object of my invention is to provide a closure that will beautomatically destroyed by any attempt to remove it from the bottle, butwhich will leave behind a portion that may be conveniently used as atemporary stopper for the bottle.

Further objects, and objects relating to details of construction andeconomies of operation, will definitely appear from the detaileddescription to follow. In one instance, I have accomplished the objectsof my invention by the devices and means set forth in the followingspecification. My invention is clearly defined and pointed out in theappended claims. A structure, constituting a preferred embodiment of myinvention, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification, in which Fig. 1 is an exploded perspectiveviewshowing the neck of a bottle and a bottle cap, constructed inaccordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the neck of a bottle with the capapplied thereto.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal, sectional View through the cap and bottle neck,taken on the line 33 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a vertical, sectional view through the bottle cap and the neckof the bottle, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional View, corresponding to a part of Fig.3, but showing the cap in such relation to the neck of the bottle thatone of the tongues is flexed to one side to permit it to pass a camshoulder on the bottle neck.

In the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same partsthroughout the several views and the sectional views are taken lookingin the direction or" the arrows at the ends of the section lines.

In general, my invention comprises a closure for a bottle, rotatable onthe neck thereof, and. which includes a plastic cap having a top and anintegral skirt surrounding the neck of the bottle, and cooperative meanson the bottle neck and the cap for exerting a bursting pressure on theskirt, when the cap is rotated in one direction. The skirt of the cap isprovided, preferably, with a plurality of longitudinal weakening groovesparallel to the axis of rotation of the cap, and the cooperating meansare such that the bursting pressure is applied to the skirt at points inline with these weakening grooves. I prefer to provide the neck of thebottle, in a zone below the external screw thread thereon, with aplurality of cam shoulders, each of which has an inclined cam facetangent to the cylindrical portion of the bottle neck and a face whichextends radially of the bottle neck, and to provide a plastic capcomprising a top and a skirt that surrounds the bottle neck and isprovided with an internal screw thread, for cooperation with theexternal screw thread on the neck, and a plurality of integral tonguesprojecting inwardly from the cap skirt and normally lying tangentto acylinder coaxial with said skirt. These tongues are located on the capbelow the screw thread, so that, when the cap is screwed on the bottleneck, these inwardly-projecting tongues will cooperate with the camshoulders. The tongues are preferably located on the skirt at pointsadjacent the longitudinal weakening grooves thereof. When one attemptsto unscrew the cap, the radial shoulders on the bottle neck will engagethe ends oithese tongues and press them lengthwise, thus exertingbursting pressure upon the skirt at the points where it is weakened bythe longitudinal grooves. A circumferential weakening groove may beprovided at the junction of the top of the cap with the skirt and, whenthe skirt of the cap is burst, the top, with the cork sealing discsecured thereto, may be used as a temporary stopper for the bottle.

Referring to the numbered parts of the drawings, the bottle ID has acylindrical neck portion [I provided with an external screw thread l2.In the Zone below the screw thread l2, the cylin- 3 drical neck portionis provided with four cam shoulders symmetrically arranged thereon, eachof which has an inclined cam face l3, which extends tangentially to thecylindrical neck I l, and a face Hi, which extends radially of saidneck.

The cap is made of any suitable plastic and comprises a top l and acylindrical skirt l6.

ject inwardly of the skirt and normally lie tangent to a cylindercoaxial with the skirt. They are located on the skirt below the screwthread [9 so that, when the cap is screwed home on the bottle neck, thetongues 20 will engage the cam shoulders having the sloping faces l3 andthe abrupt faces I4. A sealing disc 2!, of cork or cork composition, iscemented to the inner surface of the top 15 of the cap and provided witha hemispherical portion 22, fitting within the mouth of the bottle andserving as a stopper therefor.

When the bottle has been filled, the cap is screwed onto the neck of thebottle until the sealing disc 2| engages the lip thereof, and theportion 22 seats within the mouth of the bottle,

as shown in Fig. 4. As the bottle cap is screwed up,

the tongues 29 engage and slide over the cam faces I3 of the camshoulders, bein flexed thereby as shown in Fig. 5. The tongues 29 snapover these shoulders successively and, when the bottle cap has beenscrewed up, the tongues will occupy the positions, shown in Fig. 3, withreference to the radial faces [4 of the cam shoulders. If, now, oneattempts to unscrew the cap, this will cause the tongues 20 to pressendwise against the radial faces 14 of the cam shoulders and, as aresult thereof, a bursting pressure will be transmitted to the skirt H5,at the points where that skirt is weakened by the longitudinal groovesH8. The result will be to burst the skirt of the cap along the. groovesl8. The portions of the skirt between the grooves I8 may be broken away,leaving the top l5 and the cork sealing disc, which may be used as atemporary stopper for the bottle.

-I am aware that the bottle closur shown and described herein may bevaried considerably without departing from the spirit of my invention,and, therefore, I claim my invention broad- 1y, as indicated by theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new anduseful, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination of a bottle having a neck, a closurefor the bottlerotatable en the neck and including a plastic cap having a top and anintegral skirt surrounding the neck, said skirt having a plurality oflongitudinal weakening grooves therein parallel to the axis of rotationof the cap and extending from said top to the bottom of said skirt, andmeans for exerting a bursting pressure on said skirt at points adjacentsaid weakening grooves, to rupture said grooves and burst the skirt ofsaid cap to disintegrate said cap, upon rotating the cap, in onedirection, with respect to said neck.

2. The combination of a bottle having a neck,

a closure for the bottle rotatable on the neck and including a plasticcap having a top and an integral skirt surroundin the neck, said skirthaving a plurality of longitudinal weakening grooves therein parallel tothe axis of rotation of the cap and extending from said top to thebottom of said skirt, and means on the bottle neck and on the skirt,cooperating, when the cap is rotated on the neck in one direction, toexert a bursting pressure on said skirt at points in line with saidweakening grooves, to rupture said grooves and burst the skirt of saidcap whereby said cap is disintegrated.

3. The combination of a bottl having a cylindrical neck provided with anexternal screw thread and a plurality of cam shoulders below said screwthread, and a closure for said bottle including a plastic cap having atop, an integral skirt surrounding the neck and internally threaded, anda plurality of integral, inwardly-extending tongues adapted to engagesaid cam shoulders and normally lying tangent to the cylindrical portionof the bottle neck, said tongues being adapted to be flexed byengagement with the .cam surfaces of said shoulders as the cap is,

screwed up on the bottle neck and to snap over the shoulderssuccessively, rotation of the cap in the direction for removal forcingsaid tongues endwise against radial faces of said cam shoulders, wherebythe application of force to unscrew the cap will generate pressureexerted on said skirt at a plurality of points to burst the skirt. 7

4. The combination of a bottle having a cylindrical neck provided withanexternal screw thread and a plurality of cam shoulders below saidscrew thread, and a closure for said bottle including a plastic caphaving a top, an integral, internally threaded skirt surrounding theneck and having a plurality of longitudinal weakening grooves thereinparallel to the axis of rotation of the cap, and a plurality ofinwardly-extending tongues integrally united with the skirt at one endadjacent said grooves, said tongues normally lying tangent to thecylindrical portion of said neck and being positioned so as to engagesaid cam shoulders when the cap is screwed on the bottle, said tonguesbeing adapted to be flexed by engagement with cam surfaces of saidshoulders as the cap is screwed up on the bottle neck and to snap overthe shoulders successively, rotation of the cap in the direction forremoval forcing said tongues endwise against radial faces of said camshoulders, whereby the application of force to unscrew the cap willgenerate pressure exerted on said skirt in line with the weakeninggrooves to burst the skirt.

5. The combination of a bottle having a cylindrical neck provided withan external screw thread and a plurality of cam shoulders in a zonebelow said screw thread, each shoulder having an inclined cam surfacetangent to the cylindrical neck and a face radial thereof, and a plasticcap including a top, an integral skirt surrounding the bottle neck andhaving an internal screw thread and a plurality of longitudinalweakening grooves parallel 'to theaxis of rotation of the cap, and aplurality of integral tongues projecting inwardly from said skirt, atpoints in line with said grooves, in a zone below said screw thread andnormally lying tangent to the cylindrical neck, said tongues beingadapted to be flexed by engagement with said cam surfaces as the cap isscrewed up on the'bottle neck and to snap over said shoulderssuccessively, rotation of the cap in the direction for removal forcingsaid tongues endwise against said radial faces, whereby the applicationof force to unscrew the cap will generate pressure exerted on said skirtin line with the weakening grooves to burst the skirt.

6. The combination of a bottle having a cylindrical neck provided withan external screw thread and a plurality of cam shoulders in a zonebelow said screw thread, each shoulder having an inclined cam surfacetangent to the cylindrical neck and a face radial thereof, and a plasticcap including a top, an integral skirt surrounding the bottle neck andhaving an internal screw thread and a plurality of longitudinalweakening grooves parallel to the axis of rotation of the cap, acircumferential weakening groove at the junction of the top and skirt,and a plurality of integral tongues projecting inwardly from said skirt,at points in line with said longitudinal grooves in a zone below saidscrew thread and normally lying tangent to the cylindrical neck, saidtongues being adapted to be flexed by engagement with said cam surfacesas the cap is screwed up on the bottle neck and to snap over saidshoulders successively, rotation of the cap in the direction for removalforcing said tongues endwise against said radial faces, whereby theapplication of force to unscrew the cap will generate pressure exertedon said skirt in line with the longitudinal weakening grooves to burstthe skirt.

7. A plastic bottle cap having a top, a cylindrical skirt provided withan internal screw thread, and a plurality of integral tongues projectinginwardly from said skirt, in a zone below the screw thread, having suchsubstantial length as to be independentlyflexible with respect to theskirt and normally lying tangent to a cylinder coaxial with said skirt.

8. A plastic bottle cap having a top, a cylindrical skirt provided withan internal screw thread and a plurality of longitudinal weakeninggrooves parallel to the axis of said skirt, and a plurality of integraltongues projecting inwardly from points of said skirt adjacent saidgrooves, in a zone below the screw thread, having such substantiallength as to be independently flexible with respect to the skirt andnormally lying tangent to a cylinder coaxial with said skirt.

9. A plastic bottle cap having a top, a cylindrical skirt provided withan internal screw thread and a plurality of longitudinal weakeninggrooves parallel to the axis of said skirt, a circumferential weakeninggroove at the junction of top and skirt, and a plurality of integraltongues projecting inwardly from points of said skirt adjacent saidlongitudinal grooves, in a zone below the screw thread, having suchsubstantial length as to be independently flexible with respect to theskirt and normally lying tangent to a cylinder coaxial with said skirt.

PHILIP G. COLEMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

